1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of hair care and styling. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hair styling system which incorporates a heating system so as to provide a new tool for styling hair.
2. The Background
Many devices have been devised over the ages to aid in styling hair. Hair curlers, for example, are used to impart curls into hair. They may be used on dry hair but work best on wet hair. Steam may be applied to assist in setting the hair to the curl of the curlers. Curling irons typically incorporate an electrical heating element to heat one or both sides of a smooth but curved pair of mating surface between which hair is placed to be curled. The hair may preferably be pulled through the interface of the mating surfaces of the curling iron to aid in curling the hair. On the other hand, hair straighteners operate much like curling irons, but they have smooth mating flat surfaces which act to straighten the hair when compressed against and pulled along the hair.
All known examples of such irons and straighteners comprise a pair of untextured surfaces for engaging the hair. As a result, the hair can become tangled, or require much additional combing or brushing with another apparatus such as a comb or brush in order to achieve the desired style. This additional combing and/or brushing can undesirably disrupt the style imparted by the irons and straighteners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,501 to Maznik teaches a steam hair styling apparatus which utilizes a known steam source such as a Sunbeam valet steamer, model no. 10079, as a "steam engine" to provide steam to the center axis of a hair curler. The hair may be wrapped about the curler, the steam engine placed in the center of the curler and the steam source activated for a blast of steam departing radially through the curler from the steam engine. The steam aids in setting the curl in the hair. The patent teaches specifically that a secondary dry heat source should not be used in this application.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a hair styling device capable of use in curling, straightening and/or waving hair which overcomes the limitations of the prior art.